Krazy Krystal's Laboratory

Once an ENTJ, always an ENTJ

Science is not like other jobs.

At least not to me, which is why i love it and i hate it all at the same time. But I feel as if research is becoming more and more institutionalised, more textbook, more regulated, end-point oriented, goal focused and sometimes I feel like that can really cramp my style.

Imagine if an artist had to put forward a standard operating procedure for their sculpture before they even started to carve. If they had to map out a series of objectives, in point form, as to how they were going to "be creative". I suppose the arts students out there will shoot me down and tell me that that's exactly what they had to do in college, but does that mean it really works?

And I am frustrated by the red tape. Death to the perpetuators of tape! I mean today, I was dissecting a sample and suddenly I had a really strong lacrimal irritation reaction, my eyes were burning and the fumes were so caustic I felt like i had been punched in the nose. I had to turn my head and pull away from looking at my blade. I guess it was my own fault, I wasn't in a fumehood, and I hadn't bothered with gloves or protective eyewear... Wanna know why? I was chopping onion in my kitchen. If I wanted to do something like that at work, I doubt I would be allowed. After looking up all the material safety data sheets, filling in the risk assessment forms, and getting approval from the OH&S powers that be, maybe they would decide that the benefits of the procedure (ie making my dinner) didn't warrant such a high level of risk (crying my eyes out). But luckily it's my kitchen, and I'll cry if I want to.

Today I had my annual performance review. A little premature seeing as i've only been here six months, but it's departmental policy to conduct reviews prior to the end of each calendar year. So I had to fill in a form listing what i thought were my best achievements, my strengths and weaknesses, what my training objectives are for 2007 and how I think the department can provide support and assistance to help me meet my career objectives. *vomit*

And while I understand that this can be a really valuable process for some, for me right now, i really only have one objective. Do research. A sub-clause of which is; get some data. And possibly, go to a conference and then publish a paper next year.

I don't need to work on my public speaking skills, go to presentation seminars, see a careers advisor, diversify my skill base or develop my writing style (though some readers here may disagree!). I'd just like to be able to do some work please. Without having to map out my toilet breaks in chronological order.

So, the discerning reader may pick up on a few of my impatient vibes here. I know, I've been working on Leishmania for six months and I haven't found the cure. What's my problem? What? No Nature Immunology paper in the first three months of your post-doc? That's it, your career is going to hell..

However, the performance review process did make me focus on how I work as a person, and just for fun, I returned to the Myer-Briggs personality test. This is something I discovered whilst procrastinating over writing my thesis, and it has to be one of the most insightful and accurate online personality tests that I have ever done. I have taken this test many times to ensure the results are reproducible, and under a variety of conditions.. at work, at home, in the morning, in the evening, even now, on the other side of the world.. I still get the same result.

I am an ENTJ - Extrovert, iNtuitive, Thinking, Judging.

What does this mean? Well the test assesses four different aspects of personality whether you are:

So my exact opposite is an ISFP - which interestingly enough, is in fact the personality result that the test returns if i try and LIE about all the answers I give on the quiz.

What's fun about this is when you read the descriptor for each personality combination - there are sixteen different combinations of traits, and the test gives you a percentage for each. For example, it may come as a shock to those who know me that I am 89% extrovert. I know, I was expecting 99% too !!

So the personality descriptor for an ENTJ is Executive or Field marshall - which surprised me, and when I first read the description I couldn't believe that it was anything like me at all. My friend Girl swears by this stuff, almost as if it is her new religion. At times when I have sought her counsel on various issues about how i relate to life the universe and everything, she always smiles and shakes her head and says "What do you expect? You're an ENTJ"

Though perhaps...

"Disorganization, confusion, emotion, inefficiency and illogic drive ENTJs to take charge of situations and institutions"

"often becomes maudlin or melodramatic"

"They dislike to see mistakes repeated, and have no patience with inefficiency. They may become quite harsh when their patience is tried in these respects"

Maybe they've been reading my performance review forms!!

*giggle*

posted by Dr Krystal @ 7:32 pm